TOM Redesign

Your strategy is clear. Your operating model hasn't kept up.

The organisation that got you here was built for a different scale, a different speed, and a different set of demands. At some point the model stops working as well as it did. Decisions take longer. Handovers create delay and rework. People are working hard but outcomes are inconsistent.

"Most operating model redesigns fail — not because the design is wrong, but because they are designed as documents rather than built as operating realities. The TOM looks right on paper and doesn't land in practice."
Where are you right now?

Three stages. One consistent failure pattern.

Select where you are on the journey. The presenting problem differs — the underlying cause is almost always the same.

Before

Planning a TOM

Highest-value moment to engage

A TOM redesign is planned — driven by growth, acquisition, or strategic shift. The design hasn't started. This is the moment to ensure it is grounded in what the organisation can actually deliver and operate, not just what looks right on paper. The Reality Check at this stage prevents the most common TOM failure: designing beyond the organisation's capability.

During

Design underway

Confidence declining

A TOM redesign is in progress but confidence is declining that it will land in practice. The design is becoming more complex. Implementation questions are being deferred. The gap between the design and what the organisation can actually operationalise is quietly growing.

After

Signed off · not landing

TOM exists on paper, not in practice

The TOM was signed off by the board. It looked right. But the organisation is still operating largely in the old way. Decision rights are contested. New processes weren't built. The capability to operate the new model wasn't developed. The TOM exists on paper — not in practice.

Why the design trap keeps claiming TOMs

A TOM on paper doesn't answer the questions that determine whether it gets built.

Does the existing capability support this design? Who is accountable for each decision in the new model? What needs to change, and in what sequence? How does governance need to be redesigned? What are the sector-specific regulatory requirements this model must satisfy?

"A TOM that can't answer these questions is a strategy document, not a transformation plan."
  • Does the existing capability support this design — or has the design been built for an organisation that doesn't yet exist?
  • Who is accountable for each decision in the new model — and do those people have the authority and bandwidth to act?
  • What needs to change, and in what sequence — process, governance, roles, systems, behaviours?
  • How does governance need to be redesigned to support the new operating rhythm?
  • What are the sector-specific regulatory requirements this model must satisfy — and are they embedded in the design from the start?
How Optume works

Reality Check first. Redesign second.

We never start designing before understanding the capability the organisation has. The Reality Check establishes the honest picture — current state, why the model is failing, capability to redesign and operate a new one, regulatory requirements. Then you decide. The Redesign follows the gate.

Stage A — Always First

Reality Check™

£25k–£60k · 3–4 weeks

Honest assessment of the current model, why it's failing, what capability exists to redesign and operate a new one, and the regulatory requirements that apply. The decision document.

  • Current operating model mapped and assessed honestly
  • Root cause of failure identified — not assumed
  • Capability to redesign and operate a new model assessed
  • Regulatory requirements identified and mapped to design constraints
  • Decision document — proceed / phase / address capability first
3–4 weeks. The extra time over ERP situations reflects the complexity of capability mapping in TOM contexts.
Leadership Decision
Stage B — Only After the Gate

Performance-Led Operating Model Redesign™

£40k–£150k · 6–16 weeks · only after gate

Redesign grounded in capability. Governance and decision rights built in. Regulatory requirements embedded. Performance improvement tracked against what the Reality Check defined.

  • Operating model redesign — roles, decision rights, governance, process ownership
  • Capability roadmap — closing the gaps identified in the Reality Check, in sequence
  • Governance framework — decision rights and accountability that support the new operating rhythm
  • Regulatory and compliance requirements embedded in the model design from the start
  • Business case delivery — performance improvement tracked against Reality Check findings

Angela Albiston and Callum MacAllister lead TOM engagements. Operating model design across 20+ sectors including multiple post-acquisition integrations. Capability assessment that identifies what will prevent delivery before the design is signed off.

"We build operating models that organisations can actually operate. That sounds obvious. It is surprisingly rare."

Talk to us about your operating model — 30 minutes, no pitch.

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